NBA Film Room: Phoenix Suns Blade Cut

This article is a facsimile of an earlier publication on The Basketball Writers (TBW), which recently closed its doors.

Simple yet effective. That's how you describe the Phoenix Suns "blade cut." New coach Monty Williams and first-year Suns point guard Ricky Rubio have been helpful additions, but so too have competent screeners and improved team chemistry overall. That's resulted in a better scheme for star Devin Booker and complementary scorer Kelly Oubre Jr.

Coach Adam “Spins” Spinella of Dickinson College details how Phoenix is running a seemingly basic action designed to punish defenses for taking away baseline drives from Booker and Oubre Jr., both of whom are dangerous just about anywhere on the court. By starting a multi-player circle action spinning invertedly versus a corner cut across the defender's face, the Suns are getting some easy baskets.
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And then come the disguises and counters: